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Water Balance – Turning the Pool Triad

Water Balance – Turning the Pool Triad

So, you’ve filled your pool, added in the sanitiser and brought your pH, Total Alkalinity and Hardness levels to the ideal reading. Your pool is now perfectly balanced. However, as soon as you open the lid for use, this all goes downhill. The water you use in your pool is constantly changing, with everything from oils, dirt, cosmetics and more affecting the water balance readings. 
In pools with unbalanced water, you may see the following signs:
  • Eye and skin irritation for swimmers
  • Staining of the pool walls
  • Unsightly wrinkles in vinyl liners 
  • Interferes with the efficiency of your biocide 
  • Corrosion of metals (pump seals, heaters, lights etc)
  • Cloudy water 
  • Scale build-up (white chalky appearance) on pool surfaces as well as inside filters and heaters 
  • Pitting and corrosion of gunite/concrete pools
What is Pool Water Balancing? 
Pool water balancing is all about the relationship between three chemical measurements: pH, Total Alkalinity and Hardness. Over the next three articles, we will delve into more detail about each of these measurements to ensure you are informed about every decision you make. 
You may have heard people make reference to either corrosive or high levels of scaling when referring to water balance. This use of the term ‘water balance’ refers to the effect of water hardness and the products that are used to control it. Corrosive pool water seeks to leach minerals from everything it comes into contact with. If your pool water is corrosive, it will attack and deteriorate mechanical parts, heaters and pumps. This damage can even extend to pool walls. 
At the other end of the spectrum, hard water causes scaling issues. In this situation, your pool water has more minerals than it can hold which leaves behind scale on the surfaces it comes into contact with. This is also referred to as ‘oversaturated water’ and is similar to having limescale in your kettle.  
Both kinds of unbalanced water are bad for the health of your pool, it’s mechanical systems and swimmer enjoyment. Water balance works hand in hand with the proper use of biocides for your health and safety. The pH of your water has a direct impact on the quantity and how effective your biocide is. We will go into this in further detail in a future episode when we discuss the art of being neutral. 
If you have any further questions regarding Water Balancing, contact us today. Our friendly and experienced team are happy to answer any questions that you may have. 
For our commercial and trade contacts, please contact us for a personalised quote. 
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